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Governments in
Asia, Europe, North America, and elsewhere are finding new ways to prioritize
their efforts to support optics technologies and industries and to advance
their own national competitiveness and economic success.A recent article in the
SPIE Professionalmagazine surveyed the latest developments around the world. This post shares some of the magazine's report on what is happening in Asia, where a major focus is on efficient energy. Future posts will focus on Europe and North America.
Asian governments have
taken varied approaches in their support of optics and photonics industries.
Last year, the Chinese
government announced the 12th iteration of its Five-Year Plan for National
Economic and Social Development. The plan, which runs through 2015, includes a
focus on the economic value of seven “strategic emerging industries.” Recent
reports have estimated that the Chinese government will spend $1.5 trillion US
on subsidies in the fields of biotechnology, new energy, high-e…

Eco-metamaterials engineered by optics and photonics researchers can lighten our environmental footprint and just may be -- ironically -- more sustainable than materials found in nature.
So say Nerac analysts Rosemarie Szostak and Michael Kapralos in their article in the July 2012 issue of SPIE Professional magazine.
Metamaterials
combine micro or nano structural features instead of relying on composition
alone to achieve the desired properties. They have sparked the imagination of the
optics and photonics community with their unusual characteristics, and researchers are developing unique
metamaterials for their potential as invisibility cloaks, high-efficiency photovoltaics,
super-antennas, and ultrabright LEDs.
Eco-metamaterials may not yet be "green" based on their composition. However, the reduced quantities of materials, especially toxic ones, used in their development and metamaterials’ inherent potential for exotic properties allow technologists to improve outcomes w…

There are many good reasons to help the next generation become interested
in science. They are the future, after all; the authors and architects of whatever
progress and solutions the human race will attain during their time on the
planet. To meet that challenge, they will need the best knowledge and tools
available.
Plus … understanding how the world works is not only useful, but fun.
One of the most accessible pathways to an interest in science is astronomy.
Speakers at the recent gathering in Amsterdam of the world’s astronomical telescopes and instrumentation community were very persuasive on that point, starting with the very first talk.
“The tangible mystery of space” has inspired humankind from our earliest times, noted Heidi Hammel of the Association of Universities for Research in Astronomy in the event’s opening plenary session.
"High-profile astronomy missions inspire kids in elementary school to become the scientists of the future,” she asserted. “This doesn't ne…

(SPIE Member Jijo Ulahannan, assistant professor
at Government College Kasaragod in India, attended the biophotonics and imaging
graduate summer school earlier this month at the National University of Ireland
[NUI] Galway. Speakers composed a “who’s who” list of many of the top names in
the field. Now back at home, Jijo filed this guest blog based on his notes.)
A week of high-end motivation, face-to-face interaction with
challenging problems of the field, infused with the serene beauty of Irish countryside
and the fun and excitement of Euro 2012: that’s the best way to summarize the recently
concluded Biophotonics and Imaging Graduate Summer School (BIGSS) 2012. The
school was attended by 22 researchers from all over the world and included
highly motivating talks, technical presentations, live demonstrations and a highly
competitive poster session.
The summer school began on a fine sunny evening with a
welcome party hosted by Professor Martin Leahy who heads the National Biophotonics…

Authored by SPIE, the international society for optics and photonics, the Photonics for a Better World blog focuses on research news and the many ways technologies are applied to advance science and improve quality of life, and on the people who make that happen.